[van-announce] URGENT – occupation needs your support!

[Anti-Poverty Committee]

      URGENT – Women’s City Hall Housing Takeover needs your support!

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Wednesday, November 1, 2006
5:00pm (earlier for those who are able)
Support Rally
2530 Cambie Street (near Cambie & Broadway)
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This morning, Kim Kerr and Thomas Malenfant were arrested and charged with
obstruction while attempting to get essential supplies inside the occupied
building.  Since the building was surrounded by police yesterday
afternoon, they have not allowed anything or anyone to enter the building.
 This includes water, blankets and food.  Police also spent the night
harassing supporters who were staying outside the building.

The APC is demanding the immediate release of Kim and Thomas without any
charges.  Until this happens, we are not entering into any kind of
negotiations with police about exiting the building.

Please come down and join supporters as soon as you can.  We are
especially asking that people come out for a support rally at 5pm this
evening.

United we will win!

Anti-Poverty Committee

******backgrounder*****

On Tuesday, October 31 the Anti-Poverty Committee and supporters took an
empty city-owned building near City Hall and stated that it would be
turned into women's emergency housing.
About 150 people gathered on the lawns of City Hall, ready to occupy the
city chambers and demand the city council buy a hotel and convert it to
social housing.  Instead we took housing into our own hands and opened up
a building set to be demolished by the city.
The police have turned this into an occupation by surrounding the building
and preventing free exit and entry.  They are blocking the doors and
currently, there are eight of our comrades inside. Some supplies have
reached the squatters however, the police are not letting anyone or
anything enter the building.
Having this housing for women is crucial. Women have been brutally
attacked by government cuts. Changes to welfare laws, closures of sexual
assault centres and women centres, changes to poverty, law, legal aid and
family law have all increased the desperation and poverty levels amongst
women.

Women and especially Aboriginal and racialized women bear the brunt of
hotel closures, mass evictions, regressive welfare policies and other
conditions of poverty in this province. Many women are also forced to
tolerate dangerous and abusive conditions in order to maintain shelter.
Although politicians choose to ignore these facts – we will not.
With the coming cold and with deepening levels of poverty it is even more
dire that we create spaces to house women who are in need of assistance.
If the city won't do it, then we will do it ourselves.
Also from the past week:

October 26: North Star Squatters go to City Hall

October 22: APC occupies North Star Hotel in the Downtown Eastside

(details can be found at http://apc.resist.ca)

If you would like more information about the Anti-Poverty Committee or if
you would like to be subscribed to our e-mail list, please contact us at
apc at resist.ca or 604-682-3276.  Updates about this or other actions will
be posted to http://apc.resist.ca regularly.